Speculative Fiction—an all-encompassing genre created to describe stories of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and other stories that have an element of “What if...” in them. A story in speculative fiction is one that adds an element of the unreal, or asks, what would become of our society if history took a different direction at some important event? Fiction with a little something extra thrown in.—William D. Richards

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

The Job: A Darklight Chronicle by Greg L. Turnquist

About The Job: A Darklight Chronicle:

Snitch and her partner in crime decide to knock over a pawn shop. But something goes wrong. What should she do next?

Excerpt:

“Are you ready?” Snitch tilted her head toward her partner, raising
a brow in his direction.

James nodded. "You scoped this out, right?” The corner of his mouth
twitched. Seated on a crate across from her, he rubbed shaking
hands over his pant legs.

Snitch’s lips curled upward. The darkness the alley afforded at
night comforted her. James wouldn’t be able to see the lines of her
face in the dimness. Did he know her well enough to sense how much
she enjoyed meeting in this fashion?

"Three times over the past couple weeks," she said. "In fact, I
watched the shop yesterday. Just one watchman. And he's all yours."
Snitch met James’ eyes across the darkened space.

He winked.

And before her eyes, everything about him calmed. His shoulders
relaxed and his hands stilled.

The shorthand she and James had developed made for a tight bond.
Their ability to read each other was crucial.

James stood.

Snitch did the same. Just another day at the office.

Taking up step behind Snitch, James’ steady presence stayed with
her. They tiptoed through back alleys. This neighborhood was
perfect. It had been easier to roam these streets before Melicose
overtook the existing government and rose to power. Still, there
were enough back routes to avoid armed patrols.

One saving grace of this new overlord was that shops closed
earlier. Their mark may have stayed open until 9:00 or later in the
past. But now closed its doors before dusk. And an extra three
hours of darkness was always something to celebrate.

Brushing hands against the folds of her jacket, Snitch shook hair
from her eyes. Her body kept tight to the walls. There was no
moonlight and the skies were overcast, still Snitch hugged the
walls. She never underestimated, there was always room for more
cover, for further concealment.

The heat from James’ body radiated close behind. She allowed a
smile to grace her lips. As well, his clattering feet raised the
hairs on her neck. How many times had she told him to step more
carefully? He had only laughed and called her paranoid.

Releasing a tense breath, she closed her eyes. Maybe he was right.
He had helped her close many deals. James could move fast and make quick
decisions. If she were to drop him in favor of someone else, she
might find it to be a little shortsighted.

Moving again, Snitch rounded the corner. The rear entrance of the
fledgling pawn shop was in sight. Apparently, the business owners
invested more in the front. Customers were drawn into the front.
But for Snitch, the back told her everything. Unlit, no security
patrols...the place was vulnerable in all the right places.

Lengthening her steps toward the exposed exterior, she examined the
backdoor. And could not help the smile that crossed her features.
All that stood between them and their bounty was a nice, big lock
with no plate shielding the bolt.

She reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a slim dagger and a
wire. Best lock picking kit she had put together. Holding the bolt
with the dagger, her other hand jiggled the wire.

Click!

Snitch let out a sigh. Could it be that easy?

Free at

About Greg L. Turnquist:

Greg has read scifi since he was a kid including Asimov, Herbert,
Saberhagen, and Del Rey. Years ago, the idea of a futuristic world
reduced to a medieval existence began to bounce around in his head.
He also loves slinging code as a software geek, and has written
several non-fiction books. He lives in middle Tennessee with his
wife and family.

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